Over 450 educational advising centers in the worldwide U.S. Department of State network provide international students and scholars with information on the U.S. educational system, and, if appropriate, for applying for admission to a U.S. college or university. E/ASA provides reference materials, equipment, training opportunities, and limited operational support to the network of centers. These centers may be found in a wide variety of institutions, including U.S. embassies, Fulbright Commissions, U.S. non-profit organizations with overseas operations, binational centers, local universities, private foundations, and other local institutions.

U.S. Department of State-affiliated advising centers are designed first and foremost to provide general information, in print as well as in electronic formats, about the U.S. system of education. Secondly, they provide a clear explanation of the admissions process to an American college or university, usually through regularly scheduled presentations. The centers also offer individual advising, sometimes for a fee, to assist interested qualified students choose a course of study and institution best suited for them. Topics for which information is available at a center include:

Advisers at U.S. Department of State-affiliated centers provide impartial, accurate information about the full range of accredited institutions of higher learning in the United States and do not serve as agents or recruiters.

A network of eight Regional Educational Advising Coordinators (REACs) provides expertise and field-based support, training and liaison for educational advisers in the U.S. Department of State network.